OSHA Cites FleetPride With $264K in Penalties After Worker’s Fatal Asphyxiation
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited truck and trailer parts distributor FleetPride Inc. for 16 serious and three “other-than-serious” violations following the death of Juan Antonio Garza Jr., 63, who asphyxiated on Jan. 7 while inspecting a tanker trailer at the company’s Corpus Christi, Texas facility.
- The federal investigation, prompted by Garza’s death, found the company had exposed workers to confined space hazards along with other safety risks, including failure to implement a confined space program, gaps in its respiratory protection program, and exposure to electrical hazards.
- OSHA has proposed $264,380 in penalties against FleetPride for the cited violations.
After Industry Request, OSHA Moves to Roll Back Ladder Safety Rule
- After three chemical and petroleum industry giants petitioned the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in July 2025 to scrap the 2036 compliance deadline for OSHA’s 2016 ladder safety rule, OSHA responded in April 2026 with proposed rules to repeal that deadline.
- The trade groups – the American Chemistry Council, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute – had argued fall arrest systems could make workers less safe and said that complying would cost the refining industry $55,000 per ladder, $3.6 billion. OSHA agreed with the industry’s position, concluding the rollback “is not likely to result in a meaningful increase in risk to workers.”
- Labor unions and safety groups have pushed back hard in comments on the proposed rule, arguing research consistently shows cages don’t match the protection of fall arrest systems and can even cause serious injury if they do catch a falling worker.
- Notably, 3M, a fall protection equipment maker and ACC member itself, also opposed the rollback, disputing OSHA’s $3.6 billion savings estimate as “significantly overstated” and pegging actual per-ladder compliance costs at $1,000 per ladder.